Meeting someone new - Keep it Light!

A couple of nights ago, I was out with a girlfriend having wine at the bar at Roy’s. We were on the harbor so most people at the bar were either here for business or lived on a yacht (tough life) - so it seemed. At any rate, a gentleman began chatting us up and it was a fun conversation until he began to tell us a story about how he almost died when he was 23. He went into grueling details about this motorcycle accident and the impact it had on his life. The mood completely changed and neither my girlfriend nor I really had any desire to keep the conversation going after that. It wasn’t that we didn’t care or didn’t think it was a horrific experience for him – it was just that it had been a long day of meetings and we really wanted to unwind. It got me thinking about another friend of mine that seems to have trouble meeting people – she is dead serious all of the time.


I am not implying that you should change your personality. I am just suggesting that a little light-hearted conversation goes a long way.

Keys to success when meeting someone new –

1) Ask the other person questions about themselves – be engaging.

2) Make light-hearted (inoffensive) jokes.

3) Tell relevant & brief stories.

4) Make eye contact & smile.

5) Have fun!

…happily, kim